Pete Best Fired From Beatles 50 Years Ago; Hairstyle and Jealousy Blamed

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Pete Best was fired from The Beatles 50 years ago on Thursday. Best was the original drummer of the legendary band, but was fired and replaced by Ringo Starr, who went on to become arguably the most popular Beatle of the band – he received more fan mail than the rest of the group's members combined.

Best was fired on Aug. 16, 1962. He has since gone on to form his own band called "The Pete Best Band," which although has never received anywhere near the success of The Beatles, are still playing and touring today.

It is believed that Best was fired because he just didn't fit in with the other members. Some have said he would not change his hairstyle to match the other band members in the early 1960's.

However, Best's own mother has rejected that suggestion, saying that it was nothing more than mere jealousy from George, Paul and John.

Following his firing, Best never spoke to the other members of the band again. The former Beatle explained in 2009, "Well, why the hell didn't you just pick up the phone? Well, have you ever tried to phone a Beatle? It just doesn't happen. You couldn't get to them," according to The Examiner.

After Best's exit The Beatles went on to become one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. The band's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

They gained popularity in the UK after their first single, "Love Me Do," became a modest hit in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the "British Invasion" of the United States pop market.